‘The Elephant Man’ is everyman

As many may know, I have as much adoration for cinema as I do live theater. So, it will be with little surprise to learn I thought of the 1985 movie “Mask” when I first learned EPAC would be producing “The Elephant Man.” I was still young when I saw the movie about a “teenager with a massive facial skull deformity;” I left the theater with a dislike of Cher and a new found empathy for mankind. The same empathy resonated into the entire crowd of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre during a recent performance of “The Elephant Man.”

As many may know, I have as much adoration for cinema as I do live theater. So, it will be with little surprise to learn I thought of the 1985 movie “Mask” when I first learned EPAC would be producing “The Elephant Man.” I was still young when I saw the movie about a “teenager with a massive facial skull deformity;” I left the theater with a dislike of Cher and a new found empathy for mankind. The same empathy resonated into the entire crowd of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre during a recent performance of “The Elephant Man.”

Due to a scheduling conflict I was unable to make the opening night presentation on Thursday, Sept. 3, but I did catch the show later in the weekend. In all honesty, I had little interest in the show; I simply couldn’t imagine it being entertaining. I was totally wrong.

Discussing “The Elephant Man” — based on the true story of Joseph “John” Merrick — necessitates a bit of historical introduction. Please bear with me if Merrick’s story is already familiar. Born a deformed Londoner on Aug. 5, 1862, Merrick was ultimately abandoned by his father and left to fend in a world where he could not function alone. His deformities ranged from clubbed and stunted limbs to bulbous forms of fat and tissue rising beneath the skin of his back, legs, and buttocks. His face was bent by bony lumps and semi-paralyzed lips were so enlarged to make his speech nearly unintelligible. Merrick became a sideshow freak and was given the label ‘the elephant man’ by his handlers. Eventually robbed of his earnings by his manager and left to fend for himself, Merrick found his way back to London and was presented to Dr. Frederick Treves of the London Hospital. Merrick died from complications of his disfiguration at his home in the hospital at the age of 27.

In “The Elephant Man” we meet Merrick (Tim Riggs) while earning a pittance under the direction of showman Ross (John Kleimo). Ross, an underhanded and vile individual, is presenting Merrick to the public for a price and pretends to have his best interests in order. The freak show catches the attention of the young Treves (Gene Connelly) who recently took a position at the London Hospital. He presents his card to Merrick and sincerely requests the opportunity to study him-it is a wonderful chance of fate. Later, while abroad, Ross turns on Merrick and robs him of most of his money. When, luckily, Merrick returns to England he is nearly mobbed to death and saved by policemen who find the doctor’s card in his pocket. He goes to reside at the hospital permanently.

Treves and Merrick develop a friendship and soon Merrick is instructed on reading and social etiquette. His speech improves. Treves, in an effort to make Merrick a proper member of English society, introduces the deformed man to local actress Mrs. Kendal (Megan Riggs). She is not repulsed by Merrick’s appearance and actually finds him charming and intelligent. Through his relationship with Treves and Kendal, Merrick receives many guests from London’s high society, including the Duchess (Karen Cooper) and Princess (Ally Ortiz).

The set for “The Elephant Man” (by designer Jordan Janota) switches between the big top/freak show stages and the London Hospital. I was not in Grater Memorial Park; I was on the mean streets of London, rooting for the depicted invalid to rise from his afflictions and triumph. An eerie, unseen narrator introduces the titles of each of the 21 scenes. Most of the characters are double-cast within the show. Evan Cooper plays a train conductor and Coor Gomm, the (mostly) self-serving head administrator of the London Hospital. Lisa Harris (EPAC debut) plays the Countess and Nurse Sandwich, who is utterly repulsed by Merrick. Four characters are presented by Joseph Brice, who is also making his EPAC debut. Oh, and I must say, Connelly looks incredibly similar to the real Treves.

Riggs’ portrayal of the slurring, spitting, shaking, and sweating Merrick in the first half of the show is mesmerizing. He has the uncanny ability to show emotions and convey desires masterfully through a “crippled” face while maintaining the affliction the entire length of the show. He is brilliant! The crux of his performance comes in scene 18, a dream sequence where Merrick flips personas to become Treves and breaks down the society he has been a stranger from for so many years. In character, Riggs slips from mangled to moderate with the ease of a chameleon changing colors — yet his is not camouflage, but a brilliant light shining on what we deem to be a correct and right society. Merrick is the center of the story, but not the center of the play’s action, which allows the show to function without the use of prosthetics; his appearance is half in the imagination of the beholder and half the responsibility of Riggs, with crooked lip, twisted back, and lame leg.

Directed by Michael Swanson, “The Elephant Man” is a deep look into humanity. It is filled with both hope and despair. The actors and stage crew have left an irreversible mark on my soul and I have a better understanding of myself, my time, and my fellow man after watching EPAC’s “The Elephant Man.”

Ultimately, this is a tale of everyman. It is one man’s story. It is all of our stories.

Michael C. Upton works as a freelance writer specializing in arts and leisure, covering subjects ranging from funk punk to fine wine. He invites your comments and suggestions at facebook.com/SomebodiesProductions.